Under pressure from all parties, govt orders SIT probe into NCP leader's murder in Byculla
The decision was announced in the state legislative council by Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam, a Shiv Sena leader, after members of the ruling alliance as well as the opposition cornered the government over police inaction in the case and demanded justice for the victim's family.
Kurmi, 46, also known as Munna, was associated with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction. He was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants on October 4, 2024, while out on a post-dinner walk in Byculla. Nearly nine months since the crime, the main accused remain at large and Kurmi's family has alleged continued threats from them.
Raising the issue through a calling attention motion, NCP MLC Pankaj Bhujbal criticised the police for failing to deliver justice. 'The main accused are roaming free. Kurmi's college-going son was recently threatened and told he would meet the same fate as his father if he pursued the case,' Bhujbal said.
Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve from Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged police negligence and political interference in the case. 'There are serious allegations that police officer Suhas Mane destroyed evidence, allowing the accused to walk free. I have information that political pressure was exerted on the police to protect the accused. There must be a high-level inquiry, and Kurmi's family should be given police protection,' Danve said.
Senior members from both the opposition and ruling alliance echoed these concerns. BJP MLC Praveen Darekar said, 'This government, under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis, has always claimed zero tolerance towards crime. We expect action. An SIT must be constituted.'
NCP (SP) MLC Shashikant Shinde also criticised the probe, calling it inadequate and compromised.
Initially, Kadam said a senior officer would conduct a high-level inquiry and that the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) would be invoked once the investigation progressed. However, following persistent demands from Bhujbal, Danve, Darekar, Shinde, and others, Kadam eventually agreed to set up a Special Investigation Team to handle the case.
SITs are typically constituted for cases where local investigations are deemed insufficient due to complexity, political sensitivity, or allegations of bias. The announcement marks a rare instance of bipartisan consensus, with leaders from the NCP, BJP, and both factions of Shiv Sena jointly demanding accountability and justice in the case.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Why is govt shielding Manikrao Kokate?': Rohit Pawar says probe shows minister played online game in House for 20 minutes
Intensifying his attack against Manikrao Kokate, who was recently found playing an online game in the Maharashtra Assembly, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar claimed Wednesday that the Agriculture Minister played Rummy in the House for much longer than he had claimed. 'The Agriculture Minister was not playing Rummy for just 42 seconds but for 18 to 22 minutes. This has become clear from the probe report of the state legislature. This report has been submitted to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister. Will the government clarify about it?' Rohit asked through a post on social media. He added, 'If this government is not going to take action against a minister who was playing Rummy online for 18-22 minutes, then the Chief Minister has no moral right to claim that he followed the ideology of Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Similarly, Ajit dada has no moral right to claim that he followed the teachings of late Yashwantrao Chavan.' Speaking to The Indian Express, Rohit Pawar said, 'Our stand is that Kokate should be sacked. Why is the government not taking action against him? Why is the government shielding him?' Rohit said he had not seen the state legislature's probe report on Kokate, 'but those who have seen it told me.' It was widely speculated that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) head and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar would ask Kokate to resign in the wake of the recent controversy. However, on Tuesday, Ajit appeared to let him off with a warning. Kokate was cautioned not to repeat such behaviour and, in turn, he promised not to make controversial remarks and to follow party discipline, sources in the NCP said. On Tuesday, Kokate met Ajit in his chamber at the Mantralaya, the state government's administrative headquarters, for half an hour, party sources said. 'He apologised for the Rummy incident and promised that such a thing would not happen in the future. Kokate pleaded that he should be given one last chance, after which Ajit Pawar relented and did not ask him to resign,' an NCP leader said. At the Cabinet meeting that followed, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his displeasure at the controversial statements made by ministers. 'He said it affected the party's image,' said a BJP spokesperson.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
Bangladesh army chief seems to be cosying upto to Yunus. Did 5 people have to die for it?
So, when Waker's troops clashed with political protesters of the Awami League on 16 July, killing five and injuring over a hundred, it called into question not just the troubling matter of military action on civilians, but also changing dynamics between the Army chief and Yunus. With most political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), demanding early polls and the Yunus administration coming under attack over continuing attacks on minorities and deteriorating law and order situation in the country, the two seem to have kissed and made up. American president Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, 'Am I not destroying an enemy when I make a friend of him?' It is no easy task for an army chief appointed by the ousted Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to survive in Bangladesh's chaotic political environment. Especially when General Waker is related to Hasina through his wife's family, and many of those related to Hasina or her party, Awami League, are either in exile or in jail. Waker's relationship with the caretaker to the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, has reportedly been strained. General Waker has survived so far, but not too long ago, there were speculations of a coup against him. It will soon be one year since Sheikh Hasina's forced exit from Bangladesh and the Muhammad Yunus government's first anniversary. And political alignments in Dhaka are only getting harder to read. Case in point, Bangladesh's chief of army staff, General Waker-Uz-Zaman. Also read: Don't just blame Yunus for Tagore house destruction. Bangladesh radicalism goes way back What happened in Gopalganj? On 16 July, leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) had to return to Dhaka from Gopalganj district under the protection of the Army after a series of violent attacks from political protesters. An armoured personnel carrier of the Bangladesh Army guarded them on the way back to Dhaka. Local reports say supporters of the banned Chhatra League and Awami League began pelting stones at the NCP leaders. In response, the police, paramilitary and the army took on the protestors. Five people were killed, and over a hundred were injured. Human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra visited Gopalganj on 21–22 July. Witnesses told them that NCP leaders delivered speeches that included inflammatory remarks directed at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Awami League. The remarks sparked immediate tension and escalated into violent clashes lasting nearly three hours, during which 'local residents' took to the streets in response. Among the five people killed in the violence, only Ramzan Munshi, who died during treatment in Dhaka, underwent a confirmed post-mortem. According to Ain o Salish Kendra, his autopsy report noted gunshot wounds. What happened in Gopalganj raises serious questions about the presence of the army at a political venue inside Bangladesh. A deteriorating law and order situation over inflammatory political speeches should have been dealt with by the local police. But five Bangladeshi civilians shot dead by their own army and over a hundred injured in clashes point to a country at war with itself. It also shows how political equations in Dhaka might be shifting. Also read: Yunus is struggling to remain relevant in Bangladesh Waker then and now On 27 May, I had written a column saying the Bangladesh Army Chief wants elections, and Muhammad Yunus wants to get rid of him. I quoted a report from Bangladesh's highest-selling English newspaper, The Daily Star, that said Waker wanted a national election by December this year. 'Bangladesh needs political stability. This is only possible through an elected government, not by unelected decision-makers,' a source had quoted the army chief as saying in an Officers' Address. Soon after, the news came that Yunus was mulling resignation. NCP leader Nahid Islam had confirmed this. 'He (Yunus) said he is thinking about it (resignation). He feels that the situation is such that he cannot work,' Islam had said. On 24 May, it was clarified that Yunus would remain as the head of Bangladesh's interim government. This is not all. On 21 March, the local press had reported that top leaders of the NCP had publicly blamed Waker for trying to bring the Awami League back into Bangladesh's political arena. They also alleged Waker did not want Yunus as the caretaker to the interim government. This public outrage by the NCP, often referred to as the King's Party in Bangladesh for its close ties to Yunus, set the tone for the next government action. On 10 May, Yunus' government banned all activities of the Awami League, practically barring it from the next round of elections. With this being the relationship between these three entities, the million Bangladeshi-taka question is: Why would the army chief send his troops to defend NCP leaders who had not too long ago publicly attacked him? Kolkata-based political journalist Jaydeep Majumdar, who covers Bangladesh, told me it is one of two things. 'One theory is that the Army platoon that reached Gopalganj on that day did not take prior permission from Waker. The Bangladesh Army is now divided into factions. Or, perhaps what seems more feasible is that Waker is now simply saving himself,' Majumdar said. Majumdar said Waker is scheduled to retire from service in September this year, and that would mean the immunity he gets as Army chief would be gone. The second theory would make sense because it seems highly unlikely that Yunus is going anywhere before the elections scheduled for next year, dates for which are still not clear. My sources in the BNP have told me most political parties want polls as soon as possible, but it is in the interest of Yunus, the NCP, aka the King's party, and the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh to delay it. Waker may simply have read the room. Bangladeshi political commentator Faiyaz Hossain told me it is a matter of international shame that the Bangladeshi army used lethal weapons and fired live ammunition on a civilian population that didn't fire a single bullet. 'The Army acted as bodyguards of the leaders of the King's party and by extension leaned toward the Yunus administration,' he said. With no clarity over poll dates, perhaps Waker has no option left than to side with Yunus. One wishes he hadn't killed civilians to seal the deal. Deep Halder is an author and journalist. He tweets @deepscribble. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Asia Cup 2025 'Why play cricket with Pakistan?' Shiv Sena (UBT) & Congress Slam Govt
| 'Why play cricket with Pakistan?' Shiv Sena (UBT) & Congress slam govt as PM says Operation Sindoor is still onPriyanka Chaturvedi calls it shameful; Deependra Hooda also questions the decision. | @GrihaAtul @AmanKayamHai_ @_pallavighosh
